


Hold On For Your Life

by TheImpossibleSnicks



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Anxiety, Armor Color Swap, Black Paladin Keith (Voltron), Blood and Injury, Canon-Typical Violence, Flashbacks, Grief/Mourning, Hurt/Comfort, Introspection, It gets better I promise, M/M, Minor Character Death, Natural Disasters, Now they match their lions lmao, Pining Keith (Voltron), Red Paladin Lance (Voltron), Season 2 canon compliant, Self-Sacrifice, Some light self-doubt, mentions of trauma
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-03
Updated: 2019-11-03
Packaged: 2021-01-21 02:50:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,651
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21292400
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheImpossibleSnicks/pseuds/TheImpossibleSnicks
Summary: Team Voltron receives word from an undercover Blade about a secret shipment arriving at a Galran military base on the planet Vulkon. Unwilling to take any chances, they send Keith and Lance on a stealth mission to scope it out. Keith has a Bad Feeling about this.All Keith wants is to make it through the war with his remaining family intact. Is that really too much to ask?
Relationships: Keith/Lance (Voltron)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 12





	Hold On For Your Life

**Author's Note:**

> Here we are, my first fic. This has been a long time in the making, but my lurking days on this site are officially over. I came up with this idea while trying to wrestle a plotline together for the longer series I'm also working on. This was a much-needed break from that. So until I figure out what the fuck is going on with that mess, enjoy this two-parter I've thrown together in the meantime!  
Yee haw, folks, here we goo
> 
> The title was inspired by Hold On For Your Life by Tommee Profitt and Sam Tinnesz

The first thing that struck Keith about the planet was how empty Vulkon was. The planet was mostly barren, its rocky surface dotted with craggy cliffs and massive chasms that loomed ominously far into the distance and obscured the horizon from view. What little of the sky Keith could see was a hazy reddish brown, filled with floating sediment and simmering with inescapable heat. Even now, having just left the Lions sitting a few feet away, Keith could feel perspiration collecting on his brow and down his back. Everything was coated with a fine dusting of red powder that puffed underfoot, previously undisturbed for centuries before the paladin's arrival. According to the coalition's reports, Vulkon had no native species to speak of but radiated a surplus of energy that not even the Castle's scanners could identify.

Easy pickings for the Galra, Keith thought to himself as images of Vulkon flashed behind the Galran’s looming figure. His face was grim as always, cold and unfeeling as the images suddenly changed to show a sprawling complex of Galran buildings. A few towers poked out from the mess of purple structures, all radiating that noxiously purple radiance special to the Empire’s dominion. A face appeared next to it, showing a young Galran officer with short hair cropped behind batlike ears. A few braided strands of hair fell behind her left ear, twined with a few colorful threads. 

“Zerak is one of our agents and has been stationed at this quintessence refinery station for almost a decaphebe now. According to her last transmission, there’s something else going on at this facility that not even the lower ranking officers are aware of.” 

“What a surprise,” Keith heard Lance mutter behind him. “When are they not doing super sketchy shit behind the scenes.” Keith could hear Allura hush him before Kolivan continued.

“Though her transmission was… regrettably vague, her report described something akin to a massive weapon being constructed deep in the planet’s core. We don’t know exactly what this weapon is but judging by the sudden appearance of druids in this sector, I surmise it is something worth the coalitions attention.” 

“Voltron will investigate Vulkon immediately.” Allura stood up, dusting off her dress as she steadily met Kolivan’s stern gaze. He bowed in acknowledgement as the coalition was dismissed and the meeting brought to an end. Once the delegates and advisors had left, directed to their ships by Coran, Allura turned back to the group. 

“Two paladins should be sufficient for the ground mission,” Allura said, glancing at each of them in turn. 

“I’ll go.” Keith stood up without hesitation, stretching his arms over his head and feeling his joints pop back into place. “I’m an honorary Blade so I have access to their communication channels. Besides, I’ll have an easier time interfacing with the technology there than the rest of you.” 

“Then I’ll go too.” Now it was Lance’s turn to leap to his feet. Keith raised an unimpressed eyebrow. 

“Oh don’t look at me like that, you’re going to need a sharpshooter to snipe the shit out of them when things get rough.” He winked as Pidge let out a snort of laughter that she quickly tried to disguise as a cough. Even Allura seemed amused in her regal, reserved way. 

"I'm serious, you're going to want the Red Lion anyway because she'll blend in better than Black would." Lance reasoned, grinning. "So it looks like you're stuck with me, mullet boy."

Keith just rolled his eyes, trying to ignore the churning in his stomach. He couldn’t help it – he knew this was the worst place to even think about these kinds of feelings, he _knew_ that “getting mushy” on the battlefield was a danger not only to him but also to Lance, but no matter how hard he tried he couldn’t make them go disappear. Deep down, though, he knew that if he had to pick one person in the entire world to watch his back, he would pick Lance in a heartbeat.

Not that Keith would ever tell him that. He didn’t need Lance dangling those sentiments over his head for the rest of his life.

There was no room in the team dynamic for the kind of emotions he was harboring within himself, anyway. If something went wrong with their relationship, it could destroy their ability to form Voltron; and deep down, Keith knew he had to put the universe over himself. That’s what a good leader would do.

He was just about to banish the troublesome thoughts when he felt it. A familiar sensation was tingling just under his skin, something he hadn’t felt since they’d left Earth – a sharp, thrumming dread that started in his gut and traveled upwards, seeping into his bones and turning his limbs to lead. He stopped dead in his tracks, his senses suddenly on high alert and ears straining for any indication of wrongness that could possibly justify his sudden, irrational fear.

But nothing was there.

“Keith?” Lance called to him, his voice crackling through the comms. He sounded confused, maybe even a bit worried. Keith jumped, whipping around to see Lance’s concerned expression through his visor. 

“Is something wrong?” 

Keith shook himself, trying to squash the feeling that sat like lead in his stomach. He managed to drown it out just enough to take one long, shuttering breath.

“It’s nothing.” He replied, trying to keep his voice steady. “Let’s keep moving.” 

He squared his shoulders and forced himself to take a step forward, wincing a bit as he attempted to ignore the disbelieving look Lance was giving him with a twinge of guilt.

_I’ll tell him later_, he tried to rationalize to himself. _It’s fine, it’s probably just the stress of the war hitting me at a bad time, that’s all._

Still, he couldn’t shake the wary apprehension, the feeling of _wrongness_, that kept nagging him from the back of his mind.

They had left the lions under a particularly large outcropping, hoping that the mountainous slab of rock would shield the Lions from possible surveillance probes. After programming the base’s coordinates into a tracking device of her own design, Pidge had recommended landing about a 5 varga walk away from the base. 

“Just in case,” She told them.

It was a good plan in theory. Unfortunately, the “5 dobash walk” was quickly becoming nearly an hour as the Red and Black paladins attempted to navigate the monstrous mounds that sprung from the ground at odd angles, seemingly existing for the sole purpose of giving them hell. They traveled in silence for a while, eyes watchful for Galran activity and bayards at the ready. That didn't last long, though, and eventually the pair had to holster their weapons in favor of climbing the hostile terrain. After much disgruntled muttering and rerouting, panting with armor stained red with dust, they arrived at what appeared to be a ring of twisted spires about 15 feet tall. The ring itself looked to be miles wide and the peaks pointed inwards like claws. The perfect place for a military base.

Keith and Lance looked at each other, and Keith could see the same conclusion starting to dawn on his teammates face.

“We’re going to have to climb this thing, aren’t we?” Lance’s question came out more like a statement, his face crinkling as he craned his neck, assessing the slope with analytical prowess.

“We have to be quiet, I still have no idea what we’ll find on the other side.” Keith replied, frowning as he scrutinized the obstruction. “I used to climb mountains like this on Earth back when I was searching for the Blue Lion. I think it should be manageable if we’re careful.”

“Roger that, Team Leader.” Keith heard Lance sigh as he cracked his knuckles, a grimly determined glint to his gaze. “I hope you brought your hiking boots, because that’s gonna be one hell of a climb.”

He was right. The climb was grueling and unforgiving as Keith and Lance struggled to scale the cliff side, their boots scrabbling for footholds as their fingertips clung desperately to the coarse stone. At one point, Keith’s right foot slipped as the ledge he was using shattered under his weight. He let out a gasp as he lost his balance, fingers starting to slip as his feet scrambled for purchase on the steep slope. Lance whipped around, grabbing the front of his armor and steadying him until he could find his footing again. They stared at each other for a moment, eyes blown wide and breath coming in panicked gasps until Keith gave him a shaky nod and they continued on.

Keith couldn’t stop his hands from shaking.

By the time they reached the top, both of them were covered in grime, chests heaving, and bodies strained and sweaty under their armor plating. Together, they peered over the edge at the Galran structures below

“Um, Keith? Is a military base supposed to be this quiet?” Lance asked tentatively.

The whole place was silent, looking more like an abandoned facility than the bustling military base he had been expecting. The fortress was even bigger in person: a huge building was situated off to the right, the back of the building melding with the rocky spires that encircled it. In front, stretching for miles, were massive landing strips and a maze-like assortment of buildings all lit by massive pillars that glowed with a soft, purple light. It was a desolate and quiet sight to even with robotic sentries posted at each building. But even the sentries were motionless, giving no indication of life. There were no patrols, no drones, no Galran guards, and nothing that even hinted there might be anything of worth inside. The weird feeling in his gut spiked, fueled by the strangeness of the sight in front of him.

“Something’s not right,” Keith murmured, clenching his fists to keep his hands from trembling. He clenched his teeth, fighting off a wave of nausea as his brain screamed at him. _You're a Paladin of Voltron_, he told himself, _and Paladins don’t run from danger_. Besides what would Shiro say if he saw his protege retreating? What would _Lance_ say? He grimaced at the thought and, fighting against his instinctive desire to flee, swung his body up to perch on the spire’s peak.

“I’m going in for a closer look.” He continued, not even waiting for Lance’s response before leaping down. He didn’t need to – Lance would follow him into hell if he asked.

He could hear Lance jump behind him, wind whistling past his helmet as he activated his jetpack about a foot from the ground. He landed in a crouch, kicking up clouds of dust under his boots. Keith heard a muffled thud behind him a few moments later as Lance hit the ground a little too hard and moving a little to fast, grunting as he stumbled a bit. Keith held up a hand, signaling him to hold his position. They were behind one of the glowing pillars, obstructed from view by the sentries littered about the landing strip.

“This place is freaking me out,” Lance whispered, “Are they broken?” Keith didn’t answer him, instead choosing to move across the landing strip on silent feet, slinking towards the closest sentry.

“Keith, what are you—” Lance broke off as Keith gave it a nudge with his foot. The armor didn’t respond, toppling over with an echoing crash that made Keith leap back in alarm. He looked back at Lance and saw him lower his newly-activated sniper rifle in shock. 

“This isn’t right…” Keith repeated, his voice wavering. “This is supposed to be full of weapons and soldiers and –" his thoughts were interrupted by a sudden spike in adrenaline, effectively trapping the words in his chest as he choked on them. His eyes flitted around madly as his senses suddenly peaked, vision zeroing in on the ground beneath him as his head spun from the sensory overload. He couldn't breathe. Was his helmet broken? He tried calling out to Lance, tried to tell him his suit's oxygen must be malfunctioning, tried to call for help, but he couldn't form the words. His mind was starting to spin and Keith pitched forward, hands grasping at the sides of his helmet as he curled in on himself. Lance was at his side in a second, hands pressing on his armor and clutching his arm. 

“Keith? Buddy, hey, what’s wrong –” A deep rumbling filled the air as the pillars around them shivered violently. The base creaked as the metal shifted and bent, red particles blurring the air as the ground under their feet shook. Then, the rumbling stopped as suddenly as it had begun almost as if it had never happened. Keith and Lance were frozen to the spot, Lance’s hands still reaching out to steady the Black Paladin.

“What was that?” Lance asked warily. Keith couldn’t even answer him, the fear thrumming through his veins still muting him. He shut his eyes as a coherent message formed in his mind. 

_run_.

The sensation urged him to flee - flee to his Lion, flee from this godforsaken planet, flee to the Castleship where it was _safe_. But the mission wasn't over yet, and Keith refused to run when the fate of the universe might be at stake.

“I’m going to try to contact that Blade,” Keith said instead, his voice light and breathless. He tried not to sound pathetic, but Lance's grip around his arm tightened and Keith winced in embarrassment. “Maybe she knows what’s going on.”

“Okay,” Lance murmured. “But make it quick – that rumbling didn’t sound good, whatever it was.”

He knew Lance was right, but if something was wrong, he couldn’t leave Zerak to the mercy of whatever was happening. Keith pulled out the communicator Kolivan had given him when he joined the Blades, punching in her number.

“Zerak, this is Keith, honorary Blade and the Black Paladin of Voltron. Are you there” He called, trying to smooth the tremors in his voice. He took a steadying breath before trying again. “I repeat, this is Keith. Do you copy?” Still no answer.

“Maybe she’s off planet?” Lance suggested weakly, fingers fidgeting restlessly with his bayard handle. Keith just shook his head.

“No, she would have told Kolivan if they were moving somewhere else.” He said quietly. He tapped her name and a beacon appeared in place of the voice channel. Pidge had rigged it to act like the rebel’s transponders just in case one of them got lost, telling them with solemn tones that she didn’t ever want to lose her family like that again. Keith made a mental note to thank her properly when they got back.

“She’s close by,” Keith said in surprise. “The signal is coming from just inside that building.”

Together, bayards at the ready and moving in tandem with each other, the two paladins made their way to the massive structure. When the door slid open, the first thing Keith noticed was the metallic tang of blood in the air. He recoiled slightly, scanning the hallway and finding it empty.

Empty, except for a body crumpled against the wall a few feet away.

“Shit,” He heard Lance curse, the two of them racing to the fallen Galra. The stench was overwhelming now, a pool of blood gathering underneath the body as it leaked sluggishly from a massive wound stretching from the Galran’s abdomen to her neck. Her mouth was open in a cry of agony, her eyes staring vacantly past Keith’s face. He heard Lance fumble with his scanners, heard the sharp intake of breath, but he didn’t need a medical scan to know that she was dead. A glint of metal caught his eye, and he realized with a chill that a marmorite blade lay next to her limp, clawed hand. The knife was deactivated and the short blade was shattered in half. Keith shuddered – he didn’t even know that was possible. The knives had always seemed unbreakable, but someone had shattered it like a plastic toy.

“Its her,” He whispered. “Zerak's dead.” He caught Lance’s eye and saw the same horror he felt reflected in his blue eyes. Keith fought the urge to puke as a sudden realization crashed into him.

“Oh my god, Lance – Lance, they _knew_.” He breathed, hands frantically searching for the comms.

“Allura! Allura, it’s a trap –” he was cut off by static as the ground under their feet lurched. Keith swore as he stumbled to the ground, Lance crashing down next to him. The building heaved, debris already starting dust from the ceiling as the integrity of the building failed against the might of the planet’s disruptive power. 

Keith grabbed the remains of Zerak’s blade, putting it in his suit’s holster before struggling to his feet. He didn’t want to leave her, but if this was really a trap then they didn’t have the time or strength to bring her with them. He fought for balance, hauling Lance up next to him before staggering out of the building with his partner in tow, throwing a regretful glance over his shoulder at the fallen hero. They made it outside just in time to see one of the pillars toppling to the ground, hitting the ground with a resounding crack.

“Keith, we have to go _now_!” Lance yelled, struggling to be heard over the cacophony of falling debris around them. “The whole place is coming down!” Keith looked around frantically for a way out, but the crown of spires had become a bowl trapping them inside. He growled in frustration before letting go of the hand he hadn’t realized he was still holding.

“We’re going to have to use our jet packs to scale the side of that cliff.” Keith shouted, dashing for the fallen pillar before launching himself off it like a springboard. As soon as he was airborne, he activated his jet pack, the inertia from the jump helping to propel him towards the peak of the closest spire. He landed hard, nearly rolling down the rest of the cliff before catching himself. Lance landed next to him, and Keith shot out an arm to stop him from falling as well. Together, they bounded down the cliff side, using their jet packs to control their descent. Keith paused when he reached the bottom, trying to orient himself.

“Which way do we go?” Keith panted, bracing his hands on his legs as he fought for breath. 

“I don’t know, I thought you knew!” Lance snapped back, fear putting him on edge.

Keith heard another cracking noise to his right, closer this time. He paused, head whipping around just in time to see a fracture appearing in the ground. Smoke and ash poured out of the crevice, heat blasting him in a wave. Throwing his arms up to shield himself, Keith watched in terror as the fracture was followed by more, the cracks spider-webbing around them like shattered glass.

“Lance,” Keith said slowly. “Run”

“What –”

“I said _run_.” Keith didn’t wait for Lance to process his words, he just grabbed his hand and bolted, nearly dragging Lance in what Keith hoped was the direction of the Lions. As the ground deteriorated under their feet, Keith wished they had landed closer to the base, praying they could find their way back before the planet could tear itself apart. They dodged mounds of rock, dancing around falling debris as the world fell apart at the seams. Keith called on his old bond with Red, trying to use it to guide his feet in the right direction, hand firmly grasping Lance’s once again. _Please, Red_, he pleaded. _I need you._ The connection roared to life, rushing back to Keith like a brand across his fight. Without another thought, he veered sharply to the right and ran in the direction she directed him in, blindly trusting in his old companion to lead them. The scenery blurred around him as they ran - Keith was too focused on staying alive and following Red's desperate call to notice anything else. He only let go when Lance whipped out his bayard, spinning around to blast a massive rock that hurtled toward them from overhead. They raised their shields, using it to cover the barrage of rocks that hurtled towards them as the cliffs spewed hunks of stone back to the surface.

“What the hell is going on?” Lance yelled as another rock rolled off the shield he held over his head. “It’s like some kind of Earthquake!”

“The planet is caving in on itself,” Keith hollered, dodging a particularly large boulder as it rolled their way. “The Galra – they knew this was going to happen, that’s why the base was abandoned! They must have set us up, using the promise of “top-secret” bullshit to lure us in.” And they had fallen for it; hook, line and sinker.

He was about to tug them both back into a sprint when a particularly violent tremor sent them both sprawling again. Keith stumbled forwards, falling hard onto his right knee. He grunted, pain shooting through his leg as he tried drop into a roll but the damage was already done. He tried to push himself back up, elbows digging into the dirt as he hissed in pain. His right leg collapsed under his weight and he threw out his arms, palms plunging back onto the unforgiving stone. Before he could try again, he heard a gasp and felt a weight smash into him that sent him flying. He tumbled, grunting as he smashed back into rocky surface shoulder-first as something heavy smashed into the ground behind him. He gritted his teeth as his head smacked against the ground, making his head spin. He lay there a moment, eyes squeezed shut as he willed the world to stop spinning for a few moments. A soft groan came from his left. Keith blinked sluggishly, rolling onto his side to investigate.

Sprawled on the ground a few feet away, jet pack sparking, was Lance.

“Lance?” Keith whispered, chest aching. Lance didn’t move.

“Lance, come in.” Keith rasped, heaving himself into an upright position as he attempted to army-crawl his way to the Red Paladin. “Lance? Lance!” His tone was growing desperate, his breath catching as he assumed the worst. And then,

“I’m here, I’m alright.” Croaked Lance, and Keith finally let out the breath he hadn’t realized he was holding.

“What the hell was that?” Keith demanded, heaving himself onto one knee, purposefully avoiding the one he had just smashed against the rocks moments earlier. His arms shook as he lifted himself off the ground, his head spinning. _Probably a concussion_, he cursed. It was nothing the pods couldn’t fix, but that wouldn’t matter if they didn’t make it there in the first place.

“You never watch your six,” Lance chuckled, his voice tight with pain. “Someone’s gotta watch out for you since you can’t seem to see anything through that thick mullet of yours.” Keith rolled his eyes, a smile creeping through his stern demeanor.

“You can’t keep throwing yourself in front of me, you’re going to get yourself killed that way.” Keith deadpanned, trying to find his balance. It didn’t help that Vulkon was still convulsing violently. Lance gave him a soft smile.

“Maybe I’ll stop when you start watching out for yourself, ya big dummy,” he said affectionately. He saw Lance wince, holding his right arm close to his chest. “You would have been a human pancake if it wasn’t for me, and you still haven’t even thanked me!” He continued good-naturedly, gesturing to something behind Keith. He looked over his shoulder, stunned when he finally saw what Lance was talking about. There, right where Keith had just been standing, was a massive hunk of rock at least 5 feet wide and another 6 feet tall. Tiny fissures laced the ground beneath it, the impact of it creating a dent in the crust. Keith gave a dry, nervous chuckle.

“Yeah yeah, I’ll thank you once we’re in space.” Keith promised, “We’re not safe yet.”

“Aye aye, Team Leader,” Lance called back, shifting himself onto one knee and giving a mock salute.

Keith felt it a millisecond before it happened. _Wrong_, his body screamed, _wrong wrong wrong_. Then suddenly – _danger._

“Lance, don’t move.” He barked, the harshness of his tone startling Lance as he lost his balance. He fell backwards, barely catching himself with his hands as he landed hard, a few feet away from what Keith was realizing was a sheer cliff. They both watched with growing dread as one of the fissures under the boulder shot outwards, drawing a line between the two paladins.

“Keith –” Lance started, his voice shrill and terrified as he shifted his weight forward, preparing to propel himself to the other side. That small shift was all it took. The minerals under Lance’s feet lurched away from Keith, away from the rest of the bank.

“Lance, JUMP!” Keith screamed, rushing forward. Lance shot forward like a bullet, his long legs propelling him through the air as the ground under him gave way. For a moment he hurtled through empty space, hands and legs flailing wildly. Keith dove, grabbing Lance’s forearm as his fingertips grazed the stone, safety almost within his grasp.

“Shit, shit, shit, _fuck_,” Keith muttered through clenched teeth as he felt his body sliding towards the chasm. Despite Lance’s lanky stature, their armor was heavier than he’d anticipated. Without thinking, he activated his bayard and slammed it into the ground just as his body flipped over the edge. He grasped the handle desperately with his right hand, his left still wrapped around Lance’s forearm. He looked down, quietly panicking at what he saw. They were dangling almost fifty feet in the air, the ground reduced to a sea of molten rock. It swirled below them, spitting and belching as it ate through the planet’s surface. From a distance, he could see the remains of the Galran base dissolving into molten metal as the Vulkon’s core wiped it from existence.

“I’ve got you,” Keith grunted, “Hold on, Lance, I’ve got you, _shit_, just hold on.”

He groaned, his muscles screaming as he tried to lift them back over the side. Already Keith could see the ground starting to crumble, debris raining into his face.

“Keith, stop!” Lance yelped as a particularly large chunk smacked his helmet. “The ground isn’t stable enough, it won’t hold both of us. This isn’t going to work.”

“Yes it will,” Keith panted, pure determination fueling his exhausted limbs. “We’re not going to die here. We _won’t_.” 

He heaved, fingers clinging desperately to the bayard's handle. He could feel the sword slipping, carving the delicate ground, steel grinding against stone as they lurched another foot closer to death. Lance gave a small cry as the movement jostled his wrist and he let go instinctively, starting to slide out of Keith’s grasp. Keith gasped, his fingers digging into the slick armor as his hand found Lance’s own.

“Don’t let go of me,” he demanded. “I can do this. It’s just, a little farther—”

“No.”

Keith’s mouth snapped shut. He looked down again, barely making out the red of Lance’s dented armor against the inferno below them. He had a terrifyingly familiar look in his eyes, one of grim determination. The look he always got when he… oh no.

“Don’t,” Keith choked out. “No. I won’t let you. Don’t even think about it.”

“Keith,” his voice was soft, almost a whisper. He could see the resolve in Lance’s eyes crumbling into something else. “You have to let me go.”

“I can’t do that,” Keith shouted, his arm shaking as the knife sank another inch lower. “Why would you even say something so stupid –”

“It’s not stupid, and you know it.” Lance said chuckled dryly, avoiding his gaze. “You have to live. You’re the Black Paladin, the others need you. They need someone to lead them, you have a duty to the team just like I have a duty to you as your second in command.” His voice shook, and Keith couldn’t tear his eyes away.

“Oh yeah, and what about you?” Keith pleaded, frantically trying to make him see reason. “You’re our sharpshooter, you’re a _paladin of Voltron_, they need you too –”

“No, they don’t,” Lance scoffed. “Don’t make me laugh. They can find another sharpshooter and a _better_ pilot for the Red Lion. I wasn’t meant to fly her in the first place, I never was.”

“What if I don’t want another sharpshooter?” Keith whispered. Lance stalled, looking stricken. Keith’s arm shook, but it wasn’t just from the strain anymore. “We’re already replacement Paladins – what about Alfor? Zarkon? All the others who gave their lives for universe? If you’re replaceable, then so am I.”

“You don’t get it,” Lance snapped, “You’re half Galra, you’re the only one that can change their mind. _You_ are the only one who can bring everyone together, to make them see sense. _You_ are the universe’s future, not me. If you die, you bring the hope of the literally everyone in the universe with you, and I won’t let that happen.” Lance’s grip slackened, almost sliding out of Keith’s grasp.

“You say you want me to live,” Keith cried, a sob threatening to escape, “but did you ever think for a second that maybe I’d rather die than live a life without you in it?”

Silence.

“You don’t mean that,” Lance whispered. “You can’t possibly mean that.”

Keith didn’t answer, he just looked away and gave them another agonizing heave. He let out a startled cry as the cliff under his sword shattered, his screams mixing with Lance’s as they plummeted through empty space. Keith desperately trailed his sword along the side of the cliff, metal sparking as his feet scrabbled for a foothold. An animalistic scream wrenched itself out of his chest as he squeezed his eyes closed, desperately slammed his bayard against the unrelenting rock. There was a flash of light behind his eyelids, eyes flying open to see his bayard changing forms. He watched in awe as it turned itself into a grappling hook-type contraption that he quickly fired into a ledge above his head. Keith grunted as the line pulled taught, realizing with despair that the cliff side was now an additional 10 feet above their heads.

There was no way he could pull them up now.

“Shit,” Keith swore, “Come in team Voltron, this is Keith. We need help. Please,” he begged the static in his ear. “Please, someone answer me. Please, _anybody_.” He was openly sobbing now, tears splattering against his visor, his voice rising into a scream.

“Keith, you have to let me go,” Lance repeated, sounding angrier this time.

“No, I’m can’t let you go too,” Keith shouted, his agonized cry echoing through the coms. “I won’t let it happen again. I won’t, I won’t, I won’t.”

He was interrupted by another bout of rumbling. The entire cliff side collapsed, huge chunks of rock raining down alongside the paladins as they plummeted towards the planet’s core. Keith pulled Lance close, grasping him like a lifeline as the Red Paladin's shaky hands wrapped around his torso. He could feel Lance’s helmet just beneath his own, eyes clenched shut as time seemed to slow around them. Not even closing his eyes could stop the images from flashing past his mind’s eye – invasive, gut-wrenching snapshots of days long past, a life he had abandoned the day he chose to save Shiro from the Garrison. The day a robotic lion swept him deep into space. Keith saw an image of himself sitting with his father on their weather-beaten porch, pointing out the comets that trailed overhead. Then, the images shifted like photographs on an antique projector. 

A glimmer of purple hair and soft, nurturing tones as he fell asleep in a crib. 

His father’s grave, a bouquet of red flowers a stark contrast against a grimy, gray headstone. 

An officer in a gray garrison uniform with black hair linked arm-in-arm with another in glasses.

An empty cockpit. 

Suddenly, the images morphed into something vindictive, something unbearably cruel. Reminders of the past became glimpses of a potential future – a future after the war in a safe, peaceful universe. 

He saw his comrades on Earth, walking through a seaboard town with casual smiles and easy grins. He saw Allura, appearing more relaxed than he’d ever seen her before, holding back a smile behind her slender hand. He saw Hunk, Pidge seated securely on his shoulders as she pointed at one of the colorful concession stands that lined the street. He was laughing jovially, hair in his face as Pidge leaned forward to point out something before nearly toppling from atop her perch. He saw Lance, all freckles and sun-kissed skin, grinning at him manically. Looking down, he saw their fingers intertwined with his as Lance tugged him along. 

He saw a beach with white sand and impossibly turquoise waves tinged with white froth. They held the colors of a magnificent sunset, bleeding oranges, pinks, and reds into the waves. Lance sat next to him, stress lines and shadowed eyes a long-forgotten memory. 

The images taunted him, holding the utopia just above his head as he plummeted to his death. He might have been okay with it, made his peace with his fate, except for a single fact that dragged him down faster than gravity itself. 

_I’m sorry Lance. I couldn’t save you._

As Keith gave in to the exhaustion tugging at his mind, succumbing to it, he thought he heard the faint sound of a Lion roar. He barely registered flash of light in front of his eyelids before something slammed into the back of his head and the nothingness caught him.

**Author's Note:**

> Hi ya'll my name is Snicks! I've been a member here for at least 5 years now and an anon lurker for an additional 2. Even though I love all things pop culture and am currently minoring in creative writing, I never felt the need to make a fic...  
Until VLD season 8, that is.  
Seriously though it's almost 2 am right now and the only reason I'm still awake is because I know a) I won't have time to finish this later this week because school is a thing and it sucks and b) its daylight savings this weekend so I get a free hour lmao I promise I'm only slightly sleep deprived, it's fine  
This scene just kinda popped into my head in the middle of class, and I've been dying to write it out for weeks now. I wasn't able to fit it into the larger one I'm writing so I'm just posting it here by itself. This fic also gave me a chance to test out a new headcanon I have where Galra have like a similar sensitivity to changes in the environment leading up to natural disasters that certain animals get sometimes. Keith just happens to feel it in the form of debilitating anxiety.  
Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy!!! Part 2 should be up within the next 2-3 weeks depending on how school goes lmao see yall again soon!


End file.
